


Creatures; Emotional

by CheshireCaine



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Naruto
Genre: Cross-Dimensional Sibling Embarrassment, Dimension Travel, M/M, Team Up, i don't know how i got here, or proposition each other, watching these two is like watching Kevin and Holt flirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-16 11:30:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21270344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireCaine/pseuds/CheshireCaine
Summary: “I care not for your battles. The child was in the way and so I helped you. Do not assume it was a mercy that extends to yourself.”





	Creatures; Emotional

_Slam._ Tobirama pulled back, shards of compact dirt sticking to his knuckles. _Slam._ He punched again with his other hand. Thud thud _thud._ Gloved fists smacking into the ground in the kind of emotional display he’d expect out of Hashirama.

He stopped. His jaw hurt, his teeth ached with the need to screech – pained and broken – into the night. But that wasn’t his way.

He leaned back, back like a bow up to the stars peeking through the tree leaves, serrated and toothsome like you saw further up North than in Fire.

He would fix this. He would get back – and realign the wheel of his time.

The figure – man, too much chakra to be civilian, cold temperament enough to be shinobi – at the edge of the greenery melted through the shadows. If Tobirama didn’t know there was no such thing as monsters, he’d be tempted to call him an _it_. The way it flickered through the trees like a shadow wrapped in a spectre wrapped in shadow again.

When _he_ was close enough, the shade sliced through, hesitating at the edge of the thicket.

Tobirama did not want to fight if he could avoid it. He wanted to be back with Hashirama. He wanted to go home.

The masked man narrowed those glaring whites as if being a few extra paces away was far enough to be safe. He considered, then stepped out of the shroud of foliage into the clearing speckled with moonlight.

Tobirama was always the practical one of himself and his brother. He climbed to his feet as the man approached, taller and heavier than Tobirama, but no animosity venting itself through his chakra – Tobirama needn’t have worried.

“I care not for your battles. The child was in the way and so I helped you. Do not assume it was a mercy that extends to yourself.”

(His Inner Hashirama cringed. Worse than his stand off with Mito, grinding her teeth after he spilt sake on her robes. Well, Tobirama’s abrasiveness wasn’t as bad as suicide by Uzumaki).

“Who are you?” the creature, _man_ growled.

“Nobody. A stranded visitor who will remove themselves unless you impede my leave.” Tobirama didn’t need to emphasise the threat. He knew the village’s guardian likely had more resources than he’d seen, but he was the second of the Senju clan. He _knew_ his strength.

The guardian believed in his confidence. The oppressive mood shrank like a balloon as he eased his hand away from his shuriken pouch. “A singularity formed an hour before your arrival. If I catch the mage responsible, I may be able to reverse it and send you back.”

Tobirama was almost reminded of Kenta, the one Inuzuka who’d tuck away his bark to hide his considerably worse bite. “There are complications.” His fingers itched to rub at his thigh, struck with the phantom pull of old claw wounds.

“I’m not a magic-user. I could locate a specialist except–”

“Here is one before you. Able to repel the enemy you seek.” If Hashirama was around, Tobirama’s mouth might have even twitched. “How fortunate.”

“You want to go home. I want him in custody and you out of my city as soon as possible. I could arrange for a specialist to bind you in the meantime, but I think it’s in _both_ of our interests if you play nice.”

“I accept your request.”

“I wouldn’t say you have any other option.”

“I could simply leave and track him down myself. I doubt you can find him as quickly alone.” He gave the Batman a conspicuous once-over. “Nor that you could stop me.”

Tobirama’s churlish smile made Batman’s jaw tighten. “No man is a god. No enemy is unbeatable. I assure you – _I could find a way_.”

Tobirama respected his own philosophy being thrown back in his face. “You’re right.” He offered the man his hand, fingers curled but for his straight index and middle fingers.

Batman mirrored him and locked his fingers around Tobirama’s. “If this fails.” He wasted watching Tobirama for a reaction he would not receive. “You are not alone.”

“If this fails . . . Yes. There is always tomorrow.”

Batman hadn’t let go. “A new lead or a new spell.”

“There is an infinite amount of techniques to be discovered. Now stop comforting me, I don’t need it.” Tobirama pulled away.

“It’s not _irregular_ in a situation like this to feel some emotional upheaval. Dimensional displacement isn’t a common occurrence for most.”

Tobirama narrowed his eyes. “Sans yourself?”

“I adapted to the situation.” Batman’s normal melt into the shadows was less effective when a curious, chakra-sensing Tobirama followed him.

“For a shinobi who cannot use fuinjutsu – or even mould chakra.” Tobirama shoved aside his bafflement rather than offend Batman before he answered. “To reverse one of these singularities, clearly you would need to find a shinobi or _magic_ user who can. Though I admit your mage’s abilities bears thin resemblance to any ninjutsu I have seen.”

Which is most of it, went unspoken.

“I adapted.”

Tobirama could just picture Hashirama’s reaction. Heaving with laughter for Tobirama overcoming his reservations with strategic curiosity, and nearly swallowing his stupid tongue because only Tobirama had the misfortune to encounter someone with worse social skills.

He followed Batman up the side of another one of the locale’s drearily dark constructions and ran ahead to take lead. Batman didn’t complain but Tobirama knew he must be squirming like Tobirama would.

As they bounded across a gap between buildings chasing the mage’s chakra signature, Tobirama dropped back and scooped Batman into his arms mid-air. “It’s not irregular for civilians to be _discomforted_ by heights. I can see how aerial travel must shock you.”

Batman twisted out of his arms, shooting a grapple onto a roof and launching himself onto a mangled gargoyle. His facial expression was more grotesque than the statue’s.

_“Touché.”_

It was fun making him growl.

**Author's Note:**

> misread a want for Bruce and Tobirama as hey, I should definitely write BruTobi 😂
> 
> 'twas a mighty pain in the derrière to crawl back after a month and edit this fic. But it was fun and I finally broken my unplanned hiatus with it so all is forgiven.


End file.
